Cruel//Eric Divergent

10~Letting down the walls

➖ Eric's POV ➖
I wake up with a pounding headache and role of the couch to find a pill and some water. The vision of last night haunts me as I take the medicine and find some new clothes for the day. I think about Addi, and how scared she must be of me now. I don't know why I care so much about how she feels, I just feel so cruel. My bloodshot eyes water as I leave the apartment for breakfast. I get my food and a coffee to help with my hangover and walk swiftly to the leaders table. I find myself looking for Addi and feel a weight on my shoulders when I see her approaching our table.

"Addison," I say numbly and somewhat feebly.
"My name isn't Addison anymore so don't call me that," she says with a sharpness that makes me feel even worse about my actions.
"Look, do you want to walk with me, I need to talk to you for a second," I say and look up at her hoping that I don't look like a lost puppy.
"I actually came over here to ask about training, I don't particularly enjoy your company. Anyway, am I fighting today? And will it be against you, a transfer or a Dauntless born?" She asks without looking me in the eyes.
"You are fighting, and it will be against Danielle. Addi, I really need to tal-" I begin to say but am cut off.
"Thanks, hey look my friends are waiting for me, I'll see you at training," she says and hastily walks away. I made myself feel a tiny but better this morning and looked up who Addi was fighting today and made sure it wasn't anyone too difficult, that would be too much for her in such a short amount of time.

➖Addi's POV➖
I walk away from Eric and the other leaders as I go and meet up with Hanna. She is sitting with Tris, both of them giggling about nothing in particular. When they see me approaching, they change focus, looking up at me more than usual.

"Hey" I say briefly. The two blonde girls ahead of me look at each other.
"So you and Eric aye" Hanna says, nudging me as I sit down. I glare at her before speaking.
"No, I was just asking him about training and all that," I say while starting to nibble on my muffin.
"Are you sure? He's still looking at you," Hanna says while Tris quietly giggles.
I look lean to the right and look around Tris to see that Hanna's right, Eric is still staring at me intently, seeming deep in thought.
"Yeah, well it's Eric, I'm not flattered, I'm just concerned," I say and try to brush of the feeling in my tummy with a laugh which Hanna and Tris seem to buy. We finish eating and decide to head to training as Eric will have our heads if we're late.
"Hey, Addi, what's up?" Zeke asks me as we pass him on the way out.
"Nothing what about you? Anything interesting?" I ask him.
"Nah, same old same old, but you better hurry, you're gonna be late for training, you know what Eric's like," Zeke says with a grin and a chuckle.
"Yeah, believe me, I do," I say with a small smile and a wave as I walk off towards the training room.
I arrive just as everyone is starting to warm up and Eric glances at me but then turns around and pretends he didn't see me. Nice. I sit down on the floor and start to stretch and then walk over to one of the orange punching bags and start warm up. After about 10 minutes I hear Eric voices echo across the room.
"Addi, come with me, your fighting Danielle in the other training room," he says ans starts to walk towards the door. Great, alone time with Eric. I walk to the door with the intention to hang back a safe distance from Eric. You know, as far away from him as I can without losing sight of him, cause I've never been to the other training room so I have no idea where to go.
"Ok Addi, I know that you won't voluntarily want to be near me ever again so I'm taking the chance to talk now. I'm not used to apologising to people so I'm just going to try, so sorry if this isn't amazing. Look, I'm sorry about how I acted yesterday, and I'm sorry if hurt you. I shouldn't have yelled at you that way, and yeah basically I'm sorry," Eric says making me fall silent in surprise. From what I've heard Eric doesn't apologise to anyone, or even feel guilty.
"Thank you, that means a lot to me, and I'm sorry that I shouted at you, you were right, your my trainer and I need to respect that. I'm telling you right now though, I will not be walked all over, but thank you again for apologising," I say and really mean it. I will not be walked all over.
Eric glances at me with a small smile playing on his lips and then pushes open a door that I hadn't even noticed we'd reached. I walk inside and see instantly see Lynn, Marlene and Uriah all huddled together which gives me an idea. I sneak up behind Uriah and motion for Lynn and Marlene to keep quiet, which they both very slightly nod to in return. I creep closer and closer to Uriah until I'm only about one step away, then I take the last step and put my mouth near his ear and yell boo.
"Ahhhhhhhh," Uriah screams like a little girl leaving us 3 girls and most of the other Dauntless born in fits of laughter. Uriah looks like he could murder me, so I'm happy that Eric calls out for Danielle and I to get into the ring. Danielle is a fair but bigger than me, and looks more muscly, but as much as I dislike him, I don't believe Eric would put me against her unless he thought I would have a chance. Well, at least I hope he wouldn't. I step into the ring and get into my fighting stance, waiting for Danielle to make the first move. Danielle has extremely long pure black hair and is actually very pretty, it would be a shame if her face got messed up during initiation. Danielle goes to kick me, so I grab her leg and twist it. While she is regaining her balance I reach out the punch her, and get some contact before she grabs my arm and pulls me around into a headlock. She starts to punch me repeatedly but luckily I actually practised for this situation with Alex, so I step as forcefully on her foot as I can, then while she enacts to that I elbow her as hard as I can in her ribs. She lets out an enraged sort of scream and tries to wildly grab me. While she fumbles around I kick her in the same place as I elbowed her as it will hurt more. She falls to the floor and as I jump onto her she makes one last ditch attempt to get up but I end this attempt with a solid punch to her jaw, which finally knocks her unconscious.
"Addi wins," Eric says with an approving nod in my direction. I help the dauntless born who comes to get her drag her off the mat, then hand her to someone else to take her to the hospital. I walk towards Uriah, Marlene and Lynn who are all cheering for me.
"Wow, you didn't tell us you were that good!" Lynn tells me when I reach them.
"That was a lot harder then the transfers, let me tell you," I say while still puffing. It was a lot harder, I wasn't expecting that. I knew they would be tougher but that was extremely draining.
"Addi, time to go," Eric says from just behind me, making me jump about a foot into the air. I bid goodbye to my friends and we walk silently most of the way back to the other training room.
"You fought well today Addi, just don't be scared to make the first move, it could really give you the upper hand with your fighting style," Eric says in a soft tone.
"I'm not scared to make the first move, but thank you," I say without looking at him still. We then reach the other training room so I make my way over to Em, Alex and Hanna.
"Hey, how'd it go?" Alex asks me.
"Good, I won but it was a lot harder than Edward, and that's saying something," I reply with a laugh.
"Oh my gosh Addi! You have huge bruise on your neck! What happened? Are you okay?" Em asks me very worriedly. I hadn't even noticed the bruise, probably because I'm still running in adrenaline, but it will probably hurt like hell later.
"Oh that, she got me in a headlock, but I doesn't hurt so don't worry," I say to the girls with a smile. I tell them I'm going to get a drink of water and leave to find a bubbler or a tap or something. I finally find a tap just outside the training room and I'm leaning down to drink some water when I see a dark shadow and it's splashed on my face. I wipe my eyes to see Peter and his posey above me.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Asks Peter with a creepy sneer on his very punch able looking face.
"So tell me, did you really win? I find it hard to believe that a weak little Amity like you is winning against Dauntless born, or are you having a bit of help from a certain leader? I've seen the way Eric has looked at you lately, like he's been entranced. What are you doing with him? Fucking him? Wouldn't be surprised, I know all about your little "incident" back in Amity," Peter says while smirking. As soon as he mentions the "incident" tears spring to my eyes and I have to stop myself from slapping him.
"Initiates, what's going on?" Eric's voice booms through the corridor, making Peter step away from me and mumble "nothing" before awkwardly shuffling away.
"Addison, are you okay? What did he do?" Eric's voice sounds angry as he takes in my expression. I can't help it anymore, I slide down to the floor and let my tears spill for the second time in two days. God, what's wrong with me, I haven't cried in about 4 years and I've cried twice in such a short amount of time. I don't want anyone, especially Eric to see me thus way, but it's too much, I can't stop myself.
"Addi, hey Addi look at me, you're fine," I hear Eric say as he surprises me and sits down next to me, making me shuffle away from him, remembering that he was the one who left me like this yesterday.
"Yo-you're scared of me, I guess I can't blame you, but I swear I will never hurt you again, you don't have to be afraid of me," Eric says with a upset look on his face. He moves closer to me again, this time leaving a small distance between us, and this time I don't move away. I give up on trying to hold onto the last bit of resolve I have left and lean onto Eric's chest and feel him put his arm around me. For some reason I feel comfortable and snuggle in deeper.
"Can I tell you something?" I ask him which must be hard for him to understand through my sobs and due to the fact that I'm pretty much talking into his chest.
"If you want to, anything," Eric replies softly.
"Okay here goes, only my family, Em, Alex and Toby know about this, well and apparently Peter somehow. Anyway when I was 12 I was in a field, right out the back of Amity, trying to find the best strawberries, and just as I was starting to walk back home my brother, Darson, turned up with his friend, I think his name was Jake. I walked towards them to say hello and my brother grabbed me and told me to be quiet. I was confused but I went along with it, until they dragged me into the woods, then I started screaming. Jake pulled out a gun and told me to shut up, this time I did. He started undressing me, and I started screaming again in the desperate hope that someone would hear me. Jake stopped for a moment and told me that Darson owed him a favour, and this was his way of repaying him. Jake told me that if I didn't shut up, he would shoot my brother and then me. I stopped screaming but by this time someone had heard and was coming. Jake didn't like this of course, so he shot my brother and I anyway, then ran away. He was caught and punished later, but my brother died, and I barely survived. That's one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Dauntless, so I could protect myself, and not taken advantage of like that ever again," I say somehow with stuttering.
It feels good to get it off my chest, even to Eric.
"Fuck, Addi I'm so sorry, but you're safe now okay, I promise it, I won't let anything happen to you, I swear on my life," Eric says while pulling me into his embrace even more.

OMFG GUYS HOW LONG WAS THAT AND YOU FINALLY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER BROTHER AND THAT WAS SO CUTE AND WOW THATS ALL I HAVE TO SAY LOVE YOU GUYS
ELINYA👏